NORFOLK, Va. – A federal judge yesterday sentenced a Norfolk man to 45 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, acetyl-fentanyl, and heroin in the Hampton Roads region. He was convicted by a jury in May 2021 of all five counts related to the drug conspiracy, including distribution of fentanyl resulting in a young woman’s death.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, between early 2017 and May 2020, Daniel Carrington, a.k.a. “Eastside,” a.k.a. “E,” 28, traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, and purchased heroin, fentanyl, and acetyl-fentanyl to resell in Chesapeake and throughout the Hampton Roads region. The drugs distributed by Carrington resulted in the overdose death of a Chesapeake woman, identified in Court documents as D.J., on December 27, 2019. Although Carrington was aware D.J.’s death, he continued to sell fentanyl until his arrest in May 2020.
Evidence presented at trial included a video of the defendant laughing at his “tester” while he was falling out of consciousness and proudly declaring how strong his fentanyl was. Other videos introduced to the jury included large quantities of cash, a firearm, and illegal narcotics. Text messages introduced at trial showed the defendant’s knowledge that he was distributing pure fentanyl and that he knew of its lethal effects. A medical examiner testified that the levels of fentanyl in the victim’s body were five times the minimum level considered to be lethal by forensic pathologists.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Kelvin L. Wright, Chief of the Chesapeake Police Department made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Butler and Joseph E. DePadilla are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-106.